By way of background concerning some conventional systems, balloon catheters, such as urinary catheters, can be used for a variety of medical procedures, including drainage of bodily fluids. Conventional urinary catheters, such as Foley catheters, can provide a channel for voiding fluid contained by the urinary bladder. Foley catheters are conventionally designed to be inserted into the urethral meatus and advanced through the urethra into the urinary bladder. They can contain a catheter tip with a balloon (e.g., retention balloon or anchor balloon), a fluid drainage lumen for draining urine from the urinary bladder, and a balloon inflation lumen for inflating or deflating the balloon. Conventionally, the portion of the Foley catheter including the catheter tip and balloon is advanced into the urinary bladder, at which point an inflation device can be used to insert fluid through the balloon inflation lumen and into the attached balloon, causing the balloon to inflate, securing the Foley catheter in place. In order to remove the Foley catheter from the bladder, fluid is conventionally withdrawn from the balloon through the balloon inflation lumen, causing the balloon to deflate. Once deflated, the Foley catheter can be retracted from the urinary bladder through the urethra, and removed from the human body.
However, the use of Foley catheters and other balloon catheters carries with it a variety of deficiencies. One such deficiency conventionally associated with the use of a Foley catheter is urethral injury resulting from removal of the Foley catheter with a fully- or partially-inflated balloon (e.g., inflated Foley catheter), such as when tension is applied to the portion of the Foley catheter outside the human body. With sufficient tension, the inflated Foley catheter balloon can be pulled through the urethra (e.g., traumatic Foley catheter removal), resulting in urethral injury, mucosal tears and lacerations, hematuria, or urethral disruption, and can lead to urethral strictures and scar formation causing subsequent urinary tract obstruction. Traumatic Foley catheter removal can also disrupt or damage the urethral sphincters which may lead to permanent urinary incontinence. Furthermore, removal of an inflated Foley catheter can result in significant penile injury in males and complete bladder eversion in women. The problem of traumatic Foley catheter removal is common, and is a frequent indication for urologic consultation. Traumatic Foley catheter removal is classically performed by patients having diminished mental capacity, including dementia or delirium, but can occur in any patient population. Unintentional removal can also occur as a result of tripping over or stepping on catheter tubing external to the body, or as a result of transferring patients from one location to another, as is common during surgery.
Another deficiency conventionally associated with the use of a Foley catheter is the potential for a non-deflating balloon, which complicates catheter removal. According to some reports, the deficiency of a non-deflating balloon has been observed in approximately eight to nine percent of latex Foley catheters. A non-deflating balloon can have a variety of causes, including defective valves in the balloon inflation lumen, solute crystal formation in the balloon inflation lumen, or kinking of the Foley catheter that compromises the balloon inflation lumen.
An even further deficiency conventionally associated with the use of a Foley catheter is tissue trauma caused by an increase in pressure about the balloon when an inflated balloon is translumenally or percutaneously ruptured in order to remove the catheter from the human body. This can lead to the problem of retained balloon fragments within the urethra or bladder, which can encourage infection and calculus formation (e.g., lithiasis), potentially resulting in partial or complete urinary obstruction and recurrent urinary tract infections.
The above-described deficiencies of today's Foley catheters and other balloon catheters are merely intended to provide an overview of some of the problems of conventional systems, and are not intended to be exhaustive. Other problems with the state of the art and corresponding benefits of some of the various non-limiting embodiments may become further apparent upon review of the following detailed description.